And Tango Makes Three

We just got cable two weeks ago and our housemate made sure we had Logo. The wife and I have been watching *a lot* of Logo. While watching, I learned that And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson is the number 1 most challenged book in the country. I read the book on Saturday night at a small bookstore in Decatur. It was an absolutely adorable story. It actually made me a little teary eyed because it was so cute. So, why is this book challenged? Why do parents want it banned? Because the book is a true story about two male penguins, Roy and Silo at the New York City Zoo who fell in love. The zookeeper gives them an egg that another couple could not care for (because it is difficult, or impossible for penguin couples to care for more than one egg at a time). The two penguins incubate the egg, and act just like a male/female couple would. When the egg hatches, the zookeeper names it Tango "because it takes two to tango." It is challenged because it "promotes homosexuality." I did a quick search on the title and found this website that does not agree with the book's message and think that it should be taken off the shelves.

Walden's Wits

All the other things I found were either rave reviews or news articles. Steve Walden's opinion is perfectly valid, but much like I'm sure his toilet does, it stinks. When there is a book about a mom and a dad who have a baby, be it humans or animals, there is no controversy. Stories like that promote heterosexuality. Steve Walden said,

"We later found out that our 6 year-old had already read it. We spent an hour undoing the damage and it ruined not just storytime but the whole evening. My 6 year-old readily understood that the book was wrong. In fact, he knew when he read the book that it was talking nonsense and that it wasn’t right. My daughter was unnerved to discover that same-sex couples, apparently in all species, can adopt children"

Damage? Nonsense? It's scientific fact that homosexuality is normal in the animal kingdom. Yes, animals mate primarily for procreation, but it doesn't always happen that way. The book was written to teach tolerance, not to push a pro-homosexual agenda. He was appalled that the book pushes sex education on his young children. Does he honestly think his kids won't see homosexuals before middle school when it's appropriate for sex ed? What about the kids with two mommies or two daddies? I'm sure it's a relief for those children to see a book like Tango. He goes on to say,

"It attempts to normalize something clearly abnormal. Penguins, like all other creatures, mate primarily for procreation. The fact that the keeper had to steal an egg from another couple to make a “family” shows that same-sex couples by themselves do not have what nature requires for them to conceive and bear children...this book has been insidiously and deceitfully placed in libraries across America to re-educate young children to accept all families as valid, whether they have two mommies, two daddies, three daddies or three mommies and two daddies. It is deceptively normal and intentionally aimed at children whose primary concern should be Legos and dolls. They push the debate on homosexuality into the kindergarten when the only debate children that age should be forced to decide is crust or no crust on their sandwiches. I am appalled that Simon and Schuster thinks my children are ready for sex. And I am angry that they chose such a backhanded method to pump someone’s agenda."

First, the book doesn't mention sex at all, it talks about "boy penguins" and "girl penguins" becoming couples and about Roy and Silo being in love and incubating a rock before the zookeeper gives them an abandoned egg. It in no way pushes sex on kids. It isn't a backhanded way to push homosexuality on children. I realize Steve Walden is just a closed-minded person who is raising his children to be have the same bigoted ideals as he does. It just irks me that such a cute children's book is so challenged. I think we need more books like Tango to help teach tolerance to kids today.

And what about heterosexual couples who can't have children because of infertility or some other reason? It's just as unnatural for those couples to have children as it would be for the wife and I to have kids.